


Heat Hazed Days

by AngelofMuses



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Based on song Kagerou Daze, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-28 16:32:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11421840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelofMuses/pseuds/AngelofMuses
Summary: August 14, 12:02He loves her, more than anything else. It was just another date, just another normal day of flirting and ice cream. But fate had a crueler plan in place.





	1. The First Cycle

_August 14, 12:02_

     Zarc glanced at his clock. It was a little after noon, and he stretched as he pushed himself off his chair.  He and Ray were supposed to meet up at the park at 12:30. He snickered to himself, knowing she was probably already at the park. She was always half an hour early to everything she showed up to, she was deathly afraid of being late to anything. If he wasn’t so excited, he might’ve shown up late just to tease her.

     En was panting on his bed, tongue lolling out of his mouth. It was hot out today, Zarc needed to remember to take some water with him when they went to the park. He went to go fill up a water bottle, chucking some ice cubes at the bottom to keep it cool. They were already melting from the short time he’d taken them out of the freezer, it really was warm today. Ray was probably gonna be wearing something lighter than usual, and the thought made his face warm just a little.

     He pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted, ‘ _send me a pic? I wanna make matching outfits.’_

 _“pffftt, you perv. You better not come in what I’m wearing.’_ Zarc smiled at Ray’s selfie. She was sitting on one of the swings, winking at the camera. She wore a yellow spaghetti strap top that had ruffles around the chest, but clung to her abdomen. A half melted strawberry ice cream cone sat in her hand, dripping all over her closed fist. He smirked as he saw the dribble of pink on the corner of Ray’s mouth, obviously intentionally left there for the picture.

 _“You got a little something on your face.”_ Zarc smirked as the ellipses came up immediately, she had been waiting for him to set her up for a retort.

_“Why don’t you hurry up and help clean it off then? ;D”_

_“Will do, (can’t believe I’m dating such a slob tho.)”_ Her ellipses came up several times and disappeared; Zarc laughed at the image of Ray all flustered trying to come up with something so that she could have the final say. Eventually, she just settled on not responding, and Zarc chuckled to himself as he shoved his phone in his back pocket.

     Zarc finished up filling his water bottle, giving it a good shake to hear the ice cubes rattling inside. He shoved it awkwardly into his cargo shorts, leaving the pockets open to accommodate the bottle. It probably looked tacky, but he really didn’t care. Ray wouldn’t, so he didn’t either.

     Zarc trudged back up to his room, stumbling off the top step. En was still waiting patiently on the bed, legs tucked under his tiny body. Zarc smiled and took the leash he had hanging over the back of his desk chair. En licked at Zarc’s wrist as he fumbled around the dog’s neck for his collar hook. The moment Zarc had finally clipped the leash on, En leapt into his arms. The dog nosed at his chest, still panting happily.

     “Alright En, let’s go buddy,” Zarc said, smiling as he patted the dog’s head affectionately. The corgi yipped in response, and tried to lick at Zarc’s arms again. “Hey now, I don’t want to be all gross and covered in dog spit by time we get to Ray, alright?” Zarc laughed good-naturedly, shifting En so he didn’t have the reach to give appreciation licks anymore.

     Zarc felt something buzz against his leg, and he swiped his phone out of his pocket with one arm while holding En with the other. He swiped it open with nose, and laughed at the picture. Ray’s ice cream was on the ground, the cone sticking out of a mostly melted glob.

 _“It’s meeeeee. I’m melting, get your butt over here.”_ Ray sent another pic of herself, this time pouting as she rested her face on her hand. There was still a dribble of ice cream on her chin. She was cocking one eyebrow and pursing her lips, and Zarc felt a warmth buzzing under his chest as he laughed at her antics.

 _“Geez you’re so impatient. I’m coming, I’m coming.”_ Zarc had trouble texting with one hand and balancing a dog on the other, but he managed as he carefully made his way down the stairs.

_“You owe me another ice cream.”_

_“Deal if you get me one of the cartoon character popsicles from the ice cream truck.”_ Zarc locked his door behind him and kicked it closed as he made his way down the steps of his front porch.

 _“You drive a hard bargain mister. We’ll have to talk more about this deal in person.”_ Ray’s last text ended with a picture of herself crossing her legs and leaning forward on them intensely, like she was at one of her father’s business meetings. Zarc sent back a ‘ _XD_ ’ and finally put his phone back in his pocket for good, setting En down. The dog jumped forward, testing the length of his leash until he found a pace that didn’t have Zarc yanking him back every five seconds.

     “Hey buddy, it’s ok.” Zarc walked briskly, eagerness getting the better of him. He loved spending days like these with Ray. The sun was beating through the sparse clouds, there was green everywhere, and it just felt… happy. Like the storms and cold were so far away that they’d never come. They reminded him of Ray. She always made everything that was bad, everything that dragged him into despair, seem so far away. It was a miracle he had lived without her before, he couldn’t imagine life without her now. He loved her snarky responses, her constant pictures, her smile, just… everything about her.

     She would always text him whenever she found out anything she was excited about, even if it was three in the morning and she had work the next day. She always had something to talk about. Dueling, her brothers, a new interest she discovered, a nature walk she went on recently, or an annoying guy she had punched in the face. Zarc loved hearing her stories, she was so passionate and excited about each one, no matter how mundane, and it was infectious.

     Zarc snapped out of his thoughts as a large truck zipped right by him, and the wind nearly knocked him onto the curb as a horn blared in his ears. En was yipping loudly, jumping on his leash.

     “Hey, hey, it’s ok, En, we’re fine. Good thing that truck didn’t hit us, wow. He had to be speeding.” Zarc frowned.  People should be more careful, someone could get hurt. En stopped barking, but he was still nervous, tail curled in between his legs and ears set back.

     “The truck is gone now buddy, we’re fine.” Zarc kneeled down to gently ruffle the fur in between En’s ears, which seemed to slightly calm him.  He was still on edge though, a low growl rumbling in his chest. “Hey En, it’s ok, it’s ok.” Zarc gently picked En up and petted him. His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he didn’t bother to take it out this time. He could answer Ray when he met up with her.

     The park wasn’t very far from Zarc’s house. With a light bit of jogging, only slightly slowed out of concern for the dog in his hands, he was at the iron gates of the entrance in no time. Zarc walked in, taking a deep breath as the scent of pine trees wafted over him. He loved the park, he would come up here so much with Ray, it felt more like home than his house.

     Zarc walked through the asphalt path that had been carved in between the trees. There were some other people walking their dogs, and a few kids running around, but most people had stuck to closed, air conditioned buildings in the heat.

     Zarc slipped his water bottle out of his pants and took a sip. Even from the light jogging, the heat was making him sweat a lot, it was sweltering out here. Ray had to be so sweaty, jeez, how long had she been sitting out here?

     After taking a gulp of water, Zarc twisted off the lid cap and let En lap at the cool water inside. The ice cubes had completely melted at this point. Ray always called him gross for letting his dog drink out of the same water bottle as him. He’d always respond with something stupid like, _“Well I kiss you, don’t I?”_ and he’d get a playful smack on the shoulder.

     “Alright, that’s enough.” Zarc pulled his water bottle away and En whimpered in response. “Sorry, I need to keep enough to get us both through the day, I’ll let you have more at the water fountain.” Hopefully Ray had gotten him that ice cream, he hadn’t realized how warm it was. He probably shouldn’t have brought En out here. Oh well, they could make a break for one of the community centers if they got overheated.

     As Zarc walked up the path, trees began to clear, and he could see the small planks of wood that were used to section off the playground. He couldn’t help the tug that pulled his lips in a smile when he saw Ray lightly pushing herself back and forth on the swing set, pouting at the ground.

     En gave him away before he could get close, barking and yipping as he stepped off the path and onto the playground. Ray perked up, her pout flipping into an unabashed grin, and she pushed off the swing and landed steadily on her feet.

     “It’s not nice to keep a girl waiting.” She put her hands on her hips, faking a stern expression before dissolving into giggles as En tried to get her attention. She scratched right behind the ears, just how he liked. “I didn’t forget you, little guy. Your big brother is so mean, bringing you out here on a hot day like this.”

     “Hey! You were the one that wanted me to bring him,” Zarc protested. Ray stepped back, slowly pulling herself and Zarc to the swings where she had been sitting before.

     “Well I can’t let you hog him all to yourself.” Ray tugged at him to sit down on the hot plastic seat of the swing. Zarc snickered as he saw an abandoned ice cream cone in a pink puddle on the ground.

     “Are you dating me just to get to my dog?”

     “Maaaaaybe.” They both laughed, and he felt so good in that moment, like nothing else mattered but the two of them here giggling like idiots. Her face scrunched up in the cutest way, the crinkles under her eye were adorable. Zarc saw that from all the sun, a small splatter of freckles were starting on her nose, and he didn’t think it would look better on anyone else than her.

     As the laughs died down, Zarc started to swing, although he kept both feet planted firmly on the ground so he wouldn’t go too far and drop En. “So how’s the family? Reira doing ok in school?”

     Ray nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yeah! He’s made friends with this kid named Haruto, they’re getting along great. I was so worried-“

     “I remember that.” Zarc had been subject to more than one of Ray’s long rants about how worried she was about her little brother. He had found her concerns sweet, although hearing them more than twice got a little repetitive. Not that he ever minded listening to her talk.

     “Oh hush you.” Ray pushed his swing, making him sway side to side. “Anyway, where was I? Right, so Reira found a little friend on his first day! He just walked right up to him and started talking, I saw them working together on something at the end of the day! I’m really proud of him, he’s such a sweet kid.”

     “Yeah, he is. It’s amazing how much the kid’s grown since I’ve known you. I remember when he was still a little baby and you had to feed him, he would never stop crying.”

     “Yeah. Remember when you had to come over and help me put him to sleep because my parents were out? You just made him cry harder.” Ray pushed herself off the ground, curling her legs under the plastic seat and swinging back and forth. En tried to crawl out of Zarc’s arms, but he hugged the dog tighter to his chest, slowing down the rocking on his swing.

     “Hey, you were the one who was yelling.” Granted, she was yelling at him for doing something stupid he couldn’t even remember. He laughed as Ray let out an over-exaggerated groan.  

     “Tch, Of course you blame it on me,” Ray feigned annoyance, but quickly broke the act as she kicked off the ground to swing even higher, laughing. When she reached the highest point she could, she jumped off the swing, flying through the air before rolling on the ground and pushing herself up with mulch in her hair. She was still giggling as she walked back over to her swing, grinning at Zarc.

     “You’re gonna hurt yourself doing that one of these days.” Zarc lightly swept some mulch off her shoulder, letting his hand linger for a second before returning it to cradling En against his chest.

     “Don’t worry, I know it for a fact that you will do something to get yourself killed long before I do.” Ray snickered as Zarc pouted at her.

     “Ye of so little faith, don’t you have any confidence in me at all?” He asked with an exaggerated, pompous tone.

     Without missing a beat, she responded, “Oh sire, I have complete confidence that your abilities. You sir, have been blessed as the human incarnation of Murphy’s Law.” They both giggled like school children. En barked with their laughter, a dopey grin on his muzzle.

     “Now if I remember correctly, a certain sire definitely owes me some ice cream?” Ray cocked her head. Her pigtail fell over her shoulder, loose and frizzy in the heat.

     “Of course, milady.” Zarc bowed as well as he could with a dog scooped up in his arms.

     “Ok, you can stop that now.”

     “No promises.” They both pushed off the swings, and Ray gave him a quick peck on the cheek. She walked backwards, stopping at the edge where the wooden boards sectioned off the playground. Balancing herself on the beam, she started taking tentative steps forwards, her arms extended to the sides. Zarc stepped off the playground and into the grass, staying close enough to catch her if she fell (which she had done many a time before).

     “So where’d you want to go today?” Ray asked, staring down at her feet as she carefully put one foot in front of the other. She began swaying a little, and stopped to steady herself before making fast steps. Zarc kept to her pace, even if it was a little slow.

     “Do we really have to go somewhere? Just spending time in the park seems like it’d be fun. Not too many other places we can take this little guy anyhow.” Zarc shifted En into the crook of his right elbow and reached out for Ray’s hand with his free arm to help steady her.

     “Really? Out here?” She sounded slightly incredulous, but her voice ended of a surprised lilt as she stumbled forward, nearly falling off the beam. Luckily, she managed to right herself with her grip on Zarc and she resumed walking down the edge of the playground.

     “Why not? It’s summer, it’s nice out,” Zarc mused, looking at the blue sky without a cloud in sight. Sure it was warm, but not dangerously so.

     “I don’t like summer.” Ray tilted her head back, eyes following the sky with Zarc.

     “That’s the first time I heard this. Why not?” They reached the end of the playground, and Ray hopped off her makeshift balance beam. She didn’t let go of Zarc’s hand, not that he minded at all.

     “When it’s so warm like this, you can’t cuddle up with your stupid boyfriend inside and enjoy his terrible hot chocolate. I like just laying on the couch and watching movies with you, and it’s too hot to do that now.” Ray’s flashed another smile at him, and Zarc couldn’t help his own grin in return.

     The familiar high-pitched recording of “The Entertainer” played out from the ice cream truck. Zarc handed En to Ray, fishing around in his pockets for change. Zarc slapped the money for a strawberry popsicle and a Blue Eyes White Dragon popsicle onto the truck counter. He handed Ray her treat, but she just leaned forward and picked up the popsicle into her mouth out of Zarc’s hand, keeping both arms wrapped around En. Tearing open the white plastic, he laughed at the awful shape the Blue Eyes was in. The gumballs that represented the eyes were in the neck, and the ice cream itself was misshapen and droopy, like it had melted and then been refrozen.

     “Truly we are eating the highest class of well-made sweets,” Zarc laughed as he bit into the dragon’s head.

     “Mmmph-“ Ray tried to hum out a response, but couldn’t talk around the popsicle in her mouth. She tried to push En to the side to free up a hand, but En started barking and jumped out of Ray’s arms onto the sidewalk below. She dropped her ice cream on the side walk in surprise, stepping back as En ran in circles, frantically barking.

     “En!“ Zarc yelled, but something had completely stolen the dog’s attention. He ran down the sidewalk, red leash flying behind him.

     “Oh geez, I’m sorry Zarc, I’ll go get him.” Ray sprinted down the sidewalk after En, shouting the dog’s name. What had gotten into him? He wasn’t usually a runner.

     “Come back here! Bad dog!” Zarc ran after Ray and En, trying to keep his popsicle in hand. Geez, this was embarrassing. He’d have to get En home after this, the poor thing was probably too high strung from the heat and the truck earlier. But he had been fine when they were on the swings…

      “En, come back please!” Ray shouted out. The dog ran into a cross section, and Ray right in after him. Luckily, En was slowing down, probably from exhaustion, and Ray finally made a dive and caught his leash. “There you go, now come on back, puppy-“

     Zarc felt like he was watching in slow motion as it happened. En pulled out of his collar, leaving Ray sitting in the middle of the street with an empty collar and red leash. She didn’t seem to register the horn of the truck at first, turning her head in confusion as the headlights shone in her eyes, before crashing right through her.

     The truck spun when it hit Ray, pushing her body up against a light pole as it crashed. Blood splattered against the ground, and covered the back of the pole. He was frozen, he couldn’t move as the smell of blood suddenly drenched everything. He could only see her arms twisted into wrong angles and her head lolled on her neck. Her pigtails had fallen out of their clips, and the red hair was highlighted with dark crimson blood.

     He realized with horror that Ray was twitching, oh god, she wasn’t dead, he had to call the police, he had to move. But he couldn’t, he couldn’t process this was happening. He muscles wouldn’t work. His eyes wouldn’t even close, he couldn’t stop staring at Ray’s bloodied form pinned up against the pole. Zarc saw her mouth move, she was trying to say something, but blood dribbled out over her lips, and her eyes began to shake as her pupils became terrified pinpricks. Her arms dangled uselessly to the side, and she could do nothing but jerk as she bled onto the hood of the truck.

     Finally, her eyes rolled back into her head, and she slumped. Zarc couldn’t breathe, his throat was so choked and his body was completely frozen at that moment in time, there was no possible way this was happening. He couldn’t lose her, he _couldn’t lose her-_

_August  14, 12:02_

     Zarc fell back out of his chair. His heart was nearly jumping into his throat, and the bloody image of Ray flashed over his eyes as he blinked to get his bearings. He looked at the clock. No… was that all some dream? Had he fallen asleep and not realized it? Zarc whipped around, and saw En panting on his bed, just like he had been this morning…. Or was that all just in the dream? His phone was on his desk, and he frantically searched through his contacts, clicking on Ray.

     There was nothing from that day in their message history… no pictures, no ice cream, no flirting. Zarc’s fingers shook as he typed out, _‘Are you ok?’_ and hit send. He couldn’t believe this, that nightmare had seemed so real… he could smell the blood, he could feel her skin, he had felt that truck speed by.

 _‘I’m definitely not ok. Get out here and bring ice cream money, I’m melting.”_ With her text, she attached a picture of herself pouting, wearing the exact yellow top Zarc had dreamed she was wearing.

     Zarc swallowed thickly, before putting the phone in his pocket and gathering up En in his arms. That was one hell of a nightmare, she wasn’t going to believe this…

 

 


	2. Déjà vu

                                           “Hey, it’s my favorite guy! Oh, and hi to you too Zarc.” Ray laughed, ruffling the fur between En’s ears. Zarc gave a half-hearted chuckle, but he was still shaken up from the nightmare. She looked fine. Her hair was still up in its usual blue clips, falling over her lightly tanned shoulders. She still had the splay of freckles over her nose, and there wasn’t a scratch on her. He looked at her lips, and the red lipstick there reminded him too much of the blood as his breath caught in his throat. Ray stopped petting En and looked at Zarc, pursing her lips when she met his eyes.

                                           “Are you ok?” She cocked her head to the side, brow twisting in worry.

                                           “Yeah, just- just a messed up dream.” His voice gave way too much of his discomfort away, and Ray put her hand on his shoulder. Her violet eyes darted around his face, trying to find the problem that was ailing him.

                                           “You know you can talk to me about it if it’s bugging you.” The laughter and sarcasm had all been drained out of her voice, and he felt bad for worrying her so much over something as small as a dream. He didn’t want to ruin their date just because he was freaking out over something his mind made up.

                                           “Yeah… it’s nothing, let’s just go for a walk.” He wished he could control how weak his voice sounded; he hated making Ray frown. He tried to reason with himself, calm his nerves. At least part of the dream had been good, when they were teasing each other and just talking.  Ray slipped her fingers off his shoulder, giving him worried glances as they made their way over to the swings. Now that they weren’t talking, the sweltering heat of the day was starting to get to Zarc. He patted at his pockets for the water bottle he packed, and it took a few seconds of patting to realize he hadn’t made a water bottle at all. He could have sworn he remembered the cold condensation hitting his leg… Or maybe that was just part of the dream too.

                                           They walked in silence, and Ray’s small frown as she sent him worried glances made him curse himself. Why did he have to go and have a stupid nightmare like that before their date? The asphalt felt like it was radiating heat onto them, the shade from the trees provided little comfort when there was nothing else to focus on. There wasn’t a cloud to promise any cover from the harsh sun.

                                           “I think I hate it a little too…” Zarc muttered under his breath

                                           “Hate what?” Ray’s question nearly made him jump, and he stumbled forward.

                                           “Um, you said you hated su- nevermind. I think I’m psyching myself out. Sorry I’m so freaked.” He rubbed the back of his head, swallowing. En was panting hard in his arms, and he mentally chastised himself for forgetting to bring water. The thought of Ray, bloodied and crushed, kept playing through his head and he just want to shove the image out of his brain. He shook his head a little, trying to bring himself to reality.

                                           “You don’t need to apologize, but I’d really rather know what’s going on if it bothers you this much.” Ray bit her lip, and Zarc’s resolve crumbled under her concerned gaze.

                                           “It’s… I guess I fell asleep before we were going out. Had a nightmare.” Zarc shifted uncomfortably. It sounded childish, now that he said it aloud. What grown adult got so scared of a nightmare? “I- Sorry, that sounds stupid.”

                                           “No, not at all. It’s obviously distressing you. Would you mind telling me what happened…?” Ray stopped walking on the path, pulling Zarc off to the side against a tree where there was more shade.

                                           “It’s just… It’s kinda weird, I dreamed we were going on a date, and then En ran out in the street and you went after him, and then a truck came too fast around the corner and-“ Zarc bit his tongue, squeezing his eyes closed as the memory of the gore ran through his head again. “There was blood everywhere, it felt like I was really there, watching it all…” He felt like such a wimp when he said it out loud, he really did sound like a child, but Ray never interrupted him or made fun. Instead, she let her shoulders drop, and her expression changed from worry to understanding.

                                           “Hey.” Ray put a hand on his shoulder, using the other to tilt his face to her. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to get hurt either. Don’t worry, it was just a nightmare. This is real, right here.” She gave a soft smile, pulling his face closer. On reflex, he tilted his head and slowly locked his lips with hers. It was reassuring, to have her so close. The heat melted away, and for a few blissful moments there was only Ray and the taste of her strawberry lipstick. She didn’t push into the kiss, but instead just let them take in each other’s presence for a few seconds before pulling away. She still left their foreheads touching, pushing her pink bangs against his gray ones. “You gonna be ok? Do you want to go home?”

                                           “No…. I think I’ll be fine. Thanks for that, and thanks for not making fun of me.” Zarc pulled away from Ray, unsticking her hair from his sweaty forehead. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

                                           “You were really fretting over it. I don’t think being mean would have helped.” Ray smiled, pulling one of Zarc’s hands away from En and lacing her fingers through his. “Come on, let’s go get ice cream.”

                                           “That sounds great.” Zarc breathed a sigh of relief. Ray was right, everything was going to be fine. “You want me to pay?”

                                           “This one’s on me, don’t worry about it.” Ray pecked him on the nose, giving him a big smile. How he ever got lucky enough to get a woman like her was beyond him. Returning her grin, they walked down the road, holding hands. Zarc couldn’t help but slow down as they passed the swing set, and the memory of the dream conversation came back to him. Ray tugged at his arm, forcing him to keep going. No need to dwell on that, it was over with now. Ray was safe, En was still in his arms, everything was fine. Ray kept up a brisk pace, which he was glad for. He didn’t have time to stop and look at the places where she had been tripped over the side of the playground. Just keep moving forward with Ray.

                                           They reached the end of the park, where the ice cream truck waited. It played the same old tune through beat-up speakers. Ray fished through her pockets, pulling some crumpled dollar bills out. Smoothing them as best she could in her hand, she pushed them over the counter. “One strawberry and one Blue Eyes please!” The vendor handed them the two white packages, and she pushed the bigger one to Zarc.

                                           “I know what you like.” She winked at him, and he felt a real laugh rise in his throat, smiling as he reached out to take the ice cream. No sooner had he extended his arm, however, before En started barking wildly, jerking in his arms.

                                           Dropping the ice cream, Zarc hugged as tightly as he could, keeping En trapped against his chest. The corgi was wild, biting and growling at him as hard as it could. What the heck had happened to him? It was just like...

                                           “Bad boy! What has gotten into you, En?” Ray narrowed her eyes as she stared the dog down, frowning. En set his ears back and bared his teeth at her. “He’s high strung… We need to get him somewhere calmer.” She stepped back, sighing. ‘”It’s probably this heat, let’s get him somewhere with air conditioning. Come on, the vet is pretty close.”

                                           Zarc’s stomach was twisting itself in knots. What was driving En so wild? And why did it happen exactly when it did in his dream? He felt dread settle in his stomach. He hissed as En scratched him, leaving a bloody mark its wake.

                                           “That’s a very bad dog! You’re getting such a time out when we get home, I swear,” Ray scolded. Zarc just pressed En to himself as tightly as he could. He didn’t want to relive that horrible nightmare, he wasn’t letting En out of his arms for anything. Ray hovered over En, staying just far enough away so he couldn’t bite her. “Has he gotten all his shots?”

                                           “Huh? Oh, yeah, I don’t think he has rabies. Something’s scared him, though it beats me as to what it is.” Zarc frowned. Had En been acting strange before, and he just subconsciously picked up on it? He didn’t remember noticing anything about En’s behavior, he had been very complacent up until Ray had given him ice cream.

                                           “I think Reiji’s cat starting acting up like this once. She didn’t have rabies or anything, but the doctor said there was a stress reaction from the city environment or something. Maybe that’s it?” Ray crossed her arms, holding a popsicle package in each hand. “That wouldn’t make too much sense for En though… he’s been a city dog all his life.”

                                           “Maybe I’ll ask my mom about it or something. Yuuri might’ve messed with him…” Zarc’s heart was thumping against his ribs, and he felt a knot of anxiety tighten at the base of his neck. There was a looming feeling that something bad was going to happen. It was not helped at all when they reached the intersection, and Zarc had to stop himself from hyperventilating as he saw a truck speed through the green light. It probably wasn’t the same truck, he hadn’t gotten a good look at it. It wouldn’t make sense, why would his dream have the same truck, at the same time? Still, every hair raised on his neck as he heard the growl of the engine fade into the distance. It was gone now, it wasn’t going to crash into Ray. Even with his attempts to reason with himself, Zarc couldn’t help the nausea as the memory of blood started to flash.

                                           En swiped at his arm where he had already been scratched the first time, and he grunted in pain as he stumbled forward, almost into the crosswalk. Ray grabbed his arm, pulling him back. “And you’re worried about me getting run over, god! Be careful.” Zarc just nodded in response.  Ray was here, Ray was fine, Ray was alive. He couldn’t get himself worked up like this. It was just a nightmare, he didn’t have anything to worry about.

                                           “Maybe… maybe we should just go home.” His voice shook on every syllable, and Ray’s grip on his arm slackened as she stepped in front of him to get a better look at his face. Her brow crinkled in worry, then morphed into sympathy.

                                           “Zarc…” She said his name softly, with the loving care and concern that usually made him melt, but the anxiety rode too high this time. He stepped away the from the edge of the sidewalk, En still struggling in his arms. Ray followed, thankfully getting away from the road. “Zarc, En and I are both going to be fine, you don’t have to worry.”

                                           “I- I know, sorry, I’m just, I’m- Feels way too familiar.” He stuttered and stumbled over his own words, shaking his head again. He shouldn’t be so anxious, but there was far too many coincidences.

                                           “Hey, it’s gonna be ok. Look, do you want me to take En-“  
                                           “NO!” He didn’t mean to yell, but letting Ray take En last time was what killed her in the first place…

                                           “I think you’re stressing each other out. Zarc, come on, we’re going to be fine.” Ray’s tone became slightly pleading, and Zarc forced himself to breathe. He had to calm down, _calm down._

                                           “Please, please just, let me hold him until we get to the vet. I know I’m freaking out, it’ll be better when we get there, ok?” Zarc waited as Ray bit her lip, and he could see she was debating whether or not to argue with him.

                                           Finally, she let out a breath and replied, “Just don’t squeeze him too tightly, please.” Zarc sighed gratefully as the pedestrian light changed green, and they crossed the street. As they got further away from the intersection, the knot of anxiety finally began to unwind, and Zarc felt his breaths gradually become less shallow, more steady. Ray seemed to notice, smiling as his shoulders relaxed. Even En was quieting down, no longer attempting to bite Zarc, but still squirming in his arms. Yeah… this was fine. Everything going to be fine.

                                           “Oh, did you see at the new building they’re making over there! I think my dad is expanding our school again?” The tension broke as Ray started conversation again, pointing to a nearby building that was surrounded by construction equipment and supplies. Zarc breathed a sigh of relief as the terrifying déjà vu faded away. They were far past the road, Ray couldn’t get hurt like this.

                                           “Probably, your old man loves taking over the city. I’m pretty sure every building is going to have a Leo Corp sign on it in the next ten years.” Zarc chuckled as they passed an office that had a ” _Bought By The Leo Corporation_ ” flyer over a sale sign on the glass.

                                           “Oh come off it, my dad’s not that much of a scumbag,” Ray protested in jest, “He’d wait at least twenty years.”

                                           “Gotta love Leo Akaba.” Zarc rolled his eyes.

                                           “My brother is working on it, don’t worry. Don’t badmouth him too much, you still need his blessing.” Ray playfully nudged Zarc with her arm. “Gotta think about the future.”

                                           “Are you already booking the wedding?” Zarc teased, the anxiety fading with every step.

                                           Ray stuck her tongue at him as she pushed open the door to the vet office at the end of the street corner, letting him walk through. The place smelled intensely of dog hair, just like home. Zarc walked up to the counter, and En started to squirm harder, although he thankfully abstained from biting and scratching. Once they got inside the vet’s office, it was a very short process of getting En taken by the receptionist into the back to be held with the other dogs. They wrote down what the problem was on a note sheet, and the receptionist filed the paper away. Zarc gave them his phone number to call when the vet had finished up with En, and in less than five minutes, they were out.

                                           “I’m sure he’ll be fine, you’ll see.” Ray held Zarc’s hand, laying her head on his shoulder. Zarc turned his head and buried his nose in her hair, just closing his eyes and not responding. She was real, she hadn’t died and they were long past the danger of that nightmare. It was going to be ok. He believed it when he said it to himself this time. Just some freakish illusion his mind made up from watching too many horror movies, there wasn’t any danger.

                                           “Thanks, Ray.” He kissed her forehead, enjoying the feeling of her breath tickling his neck, before pulling away.

                                           “Hey, why don’t we go over to my place? My little brothers are in school, so we’ve got some time to ourselves. I can get you a band-aid for that scratch and we can watch a movie or something,” Ray offered.

                                           “Yeah, sounds good.” Zarc breathed a sigh of relief, and then cocked one eyebrow in a smirk. ”Got any plans for after the movie?”

                                           Ray snorted, and smugly returned his expression. “Only if you’re a good boy.”

                                           “Aww, do I have to beg?” He teased, squeezing her hand.

                                           “You perv.” Ray giggled as she led them down the street. The city was a bit busier over this way, with people rushing down the sidewalk. It felt reassuring to have more people around. He had been getting worked up over nothing, it was ok.

                                           Zarc felt all of the reassurance drain into panic as a woman’s scream reverberated around him. Everyone stopped and turned to see where she was pointing. There was a crane, lifting a platform with beams up onto the roof of the building. Dangling from the edge of the platform, a construction worker was desperately grabbing at the rope connecting the platform to the crane.

                                           “We’ve got to get him down, someone call 911!” Ray yelled. Zarc grabbed at her shoulder, unable to form words as his throat suddenly felt dry and he choked. Her eyes were panicked, and she only gave him a glance before she craned her neck up to look back at the man scrabbling to get back on the platform. He was heavy, as the rope was beginning to break under the weight on the side. The braid frayed as pieces of twine snapped, creating a thinner connection, and before Zarc could fully register what was happening, Ray pushed him back, into the streets in front of a parked car. She yelled something he couldn’t make out, and he felt his muscles lock up again.

                                           The rope snapped, and the beams slid off the platform, far too fast. Zarc felt a scream rise up at the back of his throat as Ray only had a moment to turn and look upwards as a long metal rod pierced through her chest.

_August 14, 12:02_

                                           It was like a blink. He closed his eyes while he was in front of the construction site, and reopened them to find himself in his room. His heart was going a mile a minute, and he think he might be having a panic attack as his head pounded. He felt tears run down the side of his face as he stared at his hands. Was this real…? Was he in another dream?

                                           He looked back to the clock. It was…. The same time…. It had to be a coincidence, there was no logical explanation. But then…. Why did Ray die twice? And why had it felt so real? Why could he smell her hair, feel her skin, imagine her lips on his?

                                           Were these visions? Was he just going crazy? He shook as he turned his head back to his bed, and like clockwork, En was panting happily on the bed, in the same spot he had been before. Zarc looked at his arm where En had scratched him. The skin was clear now, no scratch in sight. Still, he had felt the pain. You shouldn’t be able to feel pain in a dream, you shouldn’t be able to feel the gravel pressing into your hands as you were pushed back onto the road...

                                           Zarc was gasping for air, he was going to pass out if he didn’t control his breathing and calm down. He squeezed his nails into his palms, counting each of his breaths, attempting to slow them. He brought himself off the edge of panic. Ray’s expression, her terror before she pushed him kept playing over in his head, and it was making him shake, but he managed to bring himself down as he leaned into his chair.

                                           Something was going on here… he needed to call Ray, call off the date. Something bad was going to happen to her if they went to that park, he knew it. His fingers were trembling so badly, he made five typos in the text, but he didn’t bother to fix it, just hitting send and swallowing the thick lump that was forming in his throat. His phone buzzed almost immediately.

                                           _“are you ok?”_

Not in the slightest.

                                           _“Pls dont come”_ He was probably only going to worry her but he couldn’t control his shaking hands. He couldn’t type anything longer than that. Hopefully she’d just be worried and nothing would happen.

                                           _“I’m coming over to you place, now.”_ Ok…. That was fine... They weren’t going out, Ray would be fine…

                                           Zarc buried his face in his arms on his desk, trying not to have another panic attack.  He heard En jump off the bed and walk over to him, whimpering, but he didn’t have the mental energy to comfort the dog, he was barely holding himself together. Was this just some cruel hallucination? Those weren’t dreams, they were too real, Ray was too real. He had spent the last time reassuring himself of that.

                                           After a few minutes of laying on his desk, Zarc finally pushed away from his desk. En yipped at his heel, but he felt to numb to try and pick him up. Zarc stumbled down the stairs, leaning on the railing for support. He walked to the kitchen cabinet, hands still shaking as he pulled out a glass. The water sloshed around as he filled it up at the faucet, he couldn’t steady himself. He turned around, and suddenly the image of the pole driving through Ray’s heart covered everything, and his vision went black. He heard the sound of shattering glass and could’ve sworn there was a scream in the distance.

_August 14, 12:02_

                                           Zarc could only stare at the clock, reading the same time.


	3. The First Attempt

At first, he tried to not text Ray. He just stared at the clock, making sure it kept moving forward, that it wasn’t broken. Five minutes passed. His phone buzzed. He ignored it.

                                           Ten. His phone rang, but he still didn’t answer.

                                           Thirty. Nothing.

                                           Thirty-seven. Suddenly, pain spiked behind his eyes, and he swore he could see Ray, eyes wide in terror as she tried to mouth out something to him that he couldn’t make out.

                                           And then it was 12:02 again.

                                           Zarc scratched his nails against the desk. What the hell? There wasn’t a logical explanation for this. There was no way that time would just keep resetting over and over. Right? It just didn’t make any sense, he had to be stuck in a dream or some hallucination.

                                           After two more resets, he stopped trying to convince himself. Both times, the reset happened on a different minute, once 12:58 and once 12:47, but he could feel a hot pain rise up between his eyes the second before it happened. An image of Ray looking terrified overcame him, and then the clock would read out 12:02 once more. Each time left him in a progressively worse state. He couldn’t breathe, his muscles didn’t respond, and it didn’t help that he swore he could smell the blood every time. He felt like throwing up, he couldn’t do this.

                                           He definitely hit panic attack once or twice, and he didn’t so much as come down as he just emotionally exhausted himself. Going through each cycle, he’d do nothing but stare at the clock, but he slowly had his muscles and brain start to reconnect. The shock of Ray’s deaths lessened each time, even if they all hurt like hell.

                                           The clock managed to strike 1:00 this time, and he began biting his lip as he braced himself for the oncoming flash. It wouldn’t be long before the cycle repeated itself and he’d be left a wreck on his desk. Why did Ray keep dying? Why did he have to keep living through it, even if he wasn’t there? He just had fifty minutes, fifty measly minutes before she died again. His phone kept buzzing on the desk, but he couldn’t bring himself to answer it.

                                           It occurred to him that it hadn’t been fifty minutes the first two times. It had taken at least an hour and a half or so of him going to the park and meeting up with Ray before the danger struck. Still, he didn’t have the energy to go, he couldn’t move at all. He just let the clock tick down until the unbearable heat and the smell of blood flooded his senses. He just wanted to wake up… he just wanted the clock to keep ticking, but at some point Ray would overtake his mind once more and he was forced to sit through it all over again.

                                           After five or six more resets, he started to see more than Ray’s terror on her face during the flashes. He couldn’t see who or what was doing it, but each time, the hilt of something was twisting into Ray’s gut, blood seeping out onto her tank top. There were changes each time. She wasn’t stabbed in the same place, she wasn’t in the same position, and the way her face twisted in panic was a little different each time. Even so, the result was always the same, and she would always mouth out the same words, over and over.

                                           _Please…. no…._

After two more resets, Zarc finally forced himself to respond the buzzing of his phone on the table, flipping the screen over to look at his messages.

                                           _“It’s so hottttt. Come on, get your butt over here.”_

_“Zarccccccccccc.”_

_“Zarc? You there?”_

                                           “ _Where are you? Is everything ok?”_

_“Zarc, I’m going to come over if you don’t respond”_

_“Zarc”_

_“Zarc, please”_

_“I’m coming over.”_

                                           He felt his throat choke up as he read through her messages. He fumbled to respond. He had to stop her, she was going to get hurt.

                                           _“I’m fine, Ray. Stay where you ar_

His voice worked this time, a scream reverberating in his ears as he felt everything become too hot, and Ray was staring at him, a knife plunged into her chest. It slipped out slowly, blood dripping from the blade onto her skin, and he could finally hear Ray’s voice.

                                           “ _Z-Zarc…”_

                                           _August 14, 12:02_

                                           He jolted. Zarc shook his head, blinking spots out of his eyes, trying to ground himself and get his bearings. He grabbed his phone. He had to stop her. If things changed each time, maybe he could keep her from leaving the park, keep her safe. No… she had to leave the park eventually. She would go out on a road, alone, and she’d have to pass by that construction site to even get home…

                                           The only way to protect her was to take matters into his own hands.

                                           The cycle was changing every time, and if it could change, maybe it could be broken entirely. It was only going in circles when she died. If he could protect her, maybe…. He could end this. He swallowed. Watching her die so many times had shaken him up badly, but... he had to protect her. He couldn’t just sit at his desk anymore, if there was even a chance he could save her, he was going to take it. Maybe that was the point of this cycle. He was supposed to protect Ray. He… he had to at least try.

                                           “Stay, boy.” En had been dangerous the first two times, he wasn’t going to try that again. Best to keep the dog locked in his house. The stairs felt longer than they had been before as Zarc stumbled down them. He left his wallet on the table, and his phone was still upstairs in his room. He didn’t have time to get them, he couldn’t waste any time. He was sprinting by time he got out the front door. The faster he was, the safer she’d be. She wouldn’t have time to go looking for him, she wouldn’t have time to get hurt. The heat beat down on his skin, and he was soaked with sweat from the exertion and the panic, but it didn’t matter. As long as he got to Ray and he could keep her from getting hurt.

                                           His legs burned by time he got to the entrance of the park, but seeing the trees and the winding path he’d met Ray on before gave him the determination to pump his legs even harder. His muscles felt like they were on fire by time the playground came into view, and he saw Ray staring down at her phone, frowning as she typed out a message.

                                           “Ray!” His voice sounded desperate, probably too desperate, but he definitely got her attention. Ray snapped her head up, lips parting as relief, then confusion passed over her face.

                                           “Zarc? You weren’t responding to my messages. Is everything ok?” She pushed off the swing, and stumbled on the mulch. Zarc’s heart nearly beat out of his chest as he ran to grab at her arms, supporting her.

                                           “I- I’m fine. Left my phone at home.” His lungs were crying for air, between the panic and the twenty minute sprint he had just put himself through.

                                           “You’re not fine, you look like hell! What’s going on?” He didn’t want to worry her, but he had to take a minute to compose himself and breathe. He grabbed her shoulder to brace himself, maybe a little too tightly from the way she flinched.

                                           “Ray, let’s go home, please.” He didn’t let go of her shoulders, and it occurred to him a little too late that he was probably scaring her, but as long as he could get Ray home safely, he didn’t care.

                                           “Zarc, slow down, what happened?” Ray put her hand over his, trying to gently push him off, but he kept his grip firm on her shoulders.

                                           “Can’t- Please, let’s just go.’ His voice was rising in volume, and the way Ray flinched under him told him he needed to back off and calm down, but the overwhelming dread settling in his stomach and racing heart wouldn’t let him.

                                           “Zarc, please, tell me what’s going on.” Her voice was rising with its own desperation, and she tried to squirm out of his grip harder this time. She was starting to look… scared. Almost like… those flashes, in the other resets. He tightened his grip on her shoulder.

                                           “Please, not this time, let’s go home.” He wished he could have thought out something more coherent, but the longer he and Ray stayed out in the open like this, the faster his heart beat against his chest. He was probably having a panic attack, but he just needed to get Ray somewhere safe. He wasn’t going to think straight until she was.

                                           “I- I’m calling Yoko, I don’t think you’re feeling well.” Ray jerked out of his grasp, pushing against his chest, and he stumbled back. Ray fumbled for her phone. Zarc wanted to run back and grab her, but he suddenly felt dizzy, like he was going to fall. All the déjà vu and dread were starting to hit him in the worst way. Ray didn’t take her eyes off him, biting her lip in worry as she pushed the phone against her ear. After a moment, she swore, “Dammit, voice mail.” She look at Zarc, uncertainty covering her expression. “Zarc…” He silently pleaded with her, he couldn’t think clearly enough to form words.

                                           “I’ll… I guess I’ll take you home. I think you’ve got a fever or something.” Ray cautiously approached him, like she would a wounded animal.

                                           “Thank you, I-“ The words choked up in his throat again. He was going to bring her somewhere safe, but they still had to get home. He wasn’t going to feel any better until they were both in his room and away from any source of danger. Ray gingerly offered her hand to him, and he took it, trying not to tighten his hand too hard and hurt her.

                                           “What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t try to take care of you?” She tried to offer a reassuring smile, but he could see the nervousness written on her face.

                                           The twenty minute walk home was the most agonizing Zarc had ever felt. Ray tried to keep up a nervous chatter at first, but realized quickly Zarc wasn’t in a well enough headspace to carry conversation. Zarc took the lead, fighting against the urge to start running. He pushed close to her as they crossed streets, ready to push her out of the way if anything came by. As they walked down the sidewalk, he constantly checked above and behind them. They weren’t being followed, there wasn’t any visible danger, but he still felt that something was going to come any second. Ray wasn’t safe yet. Even as they were walking up the steps of his front porch, the panic didn’t decrease at all.

                                           Once they were inside, Ray took charge, pulling Zarc into the kitchen and filling up a glass of water to the brim. She thrust the glass at him. “Drink. You’re probably overheated.” He obliged; he hadn’t realized how thirsty he was, all that had mattered was getting Ray here. The anxiety and dread were finally ebbing at a painstakingly slow pace. When he finished, Ray pushed her hand to his forehead under his bangs, and he recoiled at the sudden movement.

                                           “What are you doing?”

                                           “I’m checking for a fever, idiot. And I don’t know if it’s just how hot it is, but it feels like you have one. Let’s just… go up to your room, I’ll see if your mom kept and medicine around.” Ray pulled her hand away and wiped the sweat off on the side of her shorts. Zarc took a moment to process what she said, blinking.

                                           He frowned. “I’m not sick.”

                                           “Like hell you’re not. You’ve got shadows under your eyes, you’re sweating way more than you should be even in this heat, and you’re acting as jumpy as a paranoid rabbit. Shut up and let me take care of you.” Ray’s voice had taken on that stern, “I’m not screwing around” tone that meant he automatically lost whatever argument he had tried to start. Ray grabbed his wrist and pulled them both up the stairs, twisting the knob and forcing the door open with her shoulder. Inside, En was pacing in circles on the floor, and he barked in surprise as they came into the room.

                                           “Zarc! What the hell, you left him in here alone without water? Ugh, your brain really is fried…”  Ray dragged Zarc over to his bed, and gave him a pointed look as he sat down on it. “Lay down, I’m getting En water, and then you’re getting medicine.” Ray scooped En off the floor, scratching between his ears with a tired sigh.

                                           “I told you, I’m not sick. I’ll get his water, you stay here.” He didn’t want her going anywhere, and after En had freaked out the first two times... He just needed her to stay in his room until the cycle was over.

                                           “Zarc, please. You’re burning up and you’re acting like you’ve seen a ghost, please. I’ll take care of it.” Ray made the move to turn around go through his door, but he shot off the bed and jumped in front of the door, blocking her from leaving. Ray’s eyes narrowed. “Zarc. Let me go.”

                                           “Please, you don’t understand, you’ll get hurt.“ He shook his head, backing against the door.

                                           “Zarc. You’re not feeling well. This is just the fever talking, I’m going to be fine.” Ray hugged En against her chest, and she took a hesitant step forward, but Zarc just pushed himself against the door harder, his hand reaching to cover the knob, clicking the lock.

                                           “No, no… You’re not going to be fine, you’re going to get hurt. I’ve already seen it, please.” Why wouldn’t she listen? He just had to keep her safe, keep her from being killed. It was safe in here, he had to keep her here.

                                           “There’s nothing dangerous outside that door, Zarc! I’m not going to get hurt. Now step away from the door and lie down!” She yelled, and the argument upset En in her arms, who started barking wildly. God, no, this was like the first two times… The cycle was still happening, he had to stop it, he had to-

                                           “Ray, please, just stay here, I’ll take care of En but you can’t leave. I can’t let you get hurt again,” Zarc reached out his arms to take the corgi, and pushed his heel away from the door, but instead of going towards him, Ray suddenly ducked around him, En still in her arms, and started fumbled for the doorknob with one hand while trying to clutch En to her chest with the other. Zarc felt panic flare up in his chest as the feeling of dread sank into the pit of his stomach and he scrambled to grab at Ray and pull her away from the door.

                                           Ray jiggled the doorknob, swearing as she found it locked. En was barking, and he scratched her arms, forcing her to drop him. Zarc stumbled back as En dropped on his foot, still barking wildly. He bit at Zarc’s ankle, and Zarc had to kick him away, all rationale gone out the window. Unfortunately, En had distracted him long enough for Ray to start slamming the door with her shoulder, trying to break it open. Zarc grabbed her arm, grip tight enough to bruise as he tried to yank her away from the door, but Ray flung herself out of his hand, slamming into the door with her shoulder. The hinges creaked, and the wood fell away from the frame entirely. Ray’s momentum from the final slam pushed her through the opening, but her foot hit the door, and she lost any balance or control as she stumbled out into the halls, before she tripped on the top of the stairs.

                                           Zarc didn’t hear a scream, he didn’t think she had time. She survived the initial impact with the stairs, but the second time her body connected, a crack ripped through the air as something snapped in the wrong way. She never made it to the bottom.

                                           _August 14, 12:02_

                                           Zarc couldn’t stop the sobs as the full impact of what happened hit him. He had killed her that time, that wasn’t some cruel twist of fate. He had murdered her. His chest heaved, and he actually threw up this time. He stumbled away from where he had gotten sick, feeling dizzier and more nauseous than ever. He punched the wall, and it ripped up his skin from the force of impact. As blood began to run down from his knuckles, he collapsed on the floor.

                                           His phone buzzed, on his desk, and the sound made him sick all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda felt like this was changing moods a little too fast but Zarc is having a panic attack pretty much the entire chapter so I think it's somewhat justified? I mean he saw his girlfriend die like... 6 times at this point and 4 of those times were very quickfire in a row.


End file.
